A surgical method is provided for use with a teleoperated surgical system (surgical system), the method comprising: recording surgical instrument kinematic information indicative of surgical instrument motion produced within the surgical system during the occurrence of the surgical procedure; determining respective kinematic signatures associated with respective surgical instrument motions; producing an information structure in a computer readable storage device that associates respective kinematic signatures with respective control signals; comparing, during a performance of the surgical procedure surgical instrument kinematic information during the performance with at least one respective kinematic signature; launching, during a performance of the surgical procedure an associated respective control signal in response to a match between surgical instrument kinematics during the performance and a respective kinematic signature.

The present disclosure describes robots and tele-operation systems where a select control paradigm is selected from a plurality of control paradigms based on an identity of an operator, role of an operator, or expected tasks to be performed by the robot. Generic robots can be operated in accordance with any of the plurality of control paradigms, such that any of said generic robots can serve a role or act as an assistant to an operator by selection of an appropriate control paradigm. Control paradigms can be operator specific, or specific to a faction or role which an operator fits in, or specific to a set of tasks to be performed by the robot. The present disclosure also describes feedback mechanisms by which a robot or tele-operator system receive operator feedback and update a control paradigm, to gradually improve the control paradigm over time.